Prestwick

Prestwick is a town situated on the
north side of Ayr. The towns expanded and
joined together after the railway from
Glasgow reached Prestwick and Ayr in
1840.

Robert the Bruce is said to have been
cured of leprosy by the waters of the
well at St Ninians church on the south
side of Prestwick.

A regularly overlooked fact is that
Prestwick Golf Club is where the Open
Championship began, played here first
from 1860 - 1872.

Prestwick Airport opened in 1934,
mainly as a training airfield. It
expanded over the years, as for some
time, it was the only Scottish airport
allowed to operate Transatlantic flights,
due to it being on the coast with rarely
any fog. The United States Air Force had
a base there from 1952 - 1966, and
British Airways used the long runway at
Prestwick for training Concord pilots.
Concord would fly round all day, just
touching the runway then back up. People
in cars would line the roads watching the
amazing sight, nobody realised then just
how special that sight was, as there are
no such aircraft in service today, and
unlikely to be for some time. The Airport
now relies on cargo and budget airlines
providing flights throughout Europe.

Prestwick town has a popular beach,
Main Street with many busy bar/diners and
restaurants, three golf courses and a
large tennis centre. The Main Street is a
popular place most nights of the week for
drinks, meals and entertainment such as
live music, DJs, karaoke and quizes.

Right is a view looking north showing
Prestwick Cross with the road straight
ahead leading to the airport.

The road to the left leads to the rail
station, Old Prestwick Golf Course and
beach.

Prestwick Main Street that runs from
the Cross south, has a good variety of
restaurants, pubs for food and
entertainment. Most of the Hotels also
have restaurants for guests and non
guests.

A right turn at the train station
leads to the rear of the old Church of St
Nicholas built in the 1100s. The main
entrance to the church is from Kirk
Street 50 yards north of Prestwick
Cross.

The ancient burgh of Prestwick grew
around the old Church of St Nicholas.
This was originally a monastery church
that was modified after the Protestant
Reformation in the late 1500s.

There have been claims that buried
within the grounds are Knight Templars,
guardians of the Holy Grail. There is
supposed to be a plaque in the church
with the Maltese Cross, the symbol of the
Knight Templars.

Only a few hundred yards west of
Prestwick Cross, next to the Train
Station, is Prestwick Golf Club, known by
many as Old Prestwick. This was the first
course to host the Open Championship when
the tournament began in 1860.

There are another two fine courses in
Prestwick along with many more only a few
miles north at Troon and Irvine. Some
Prestwick hotels have great views over
the course.

Left is a view of the south end of the
beach where the Prestwick Sailing Club is
situated. Looks like there is a race
about to begin.

Bruce’s Well is situated to the
south of Prestwick on Maryborough Road,
just behind St Ninian's Church.

Robert the Bruce drank from the well
when conducting his guerrilla campaign
against the English occupiers of
Scotland. He thought the water from the
well reduced the severity of his skin
disease, probably leprosy. This led to
him returning to the well as often as
possible. It is believed St
Ninian’s chapel (now a ruin west of
the well) was built or restored by Bruce
after his ascension to the Scottish
throne.

Prestwick tennis, badminton and
fitness centre is situated on Whinfield
Place off Ayr Road, south of Prestwick
Cross. The indoor and outdoor tennis
courts are open to members and
non-members from 7am - 11pm with the
outdoor courts being free of charge.

Prestwick Indoor Bowling Club is
situated off Ayr Road to the south of
Prestwick town centre.

This private bowling club can be
visited by members of other clubs
throughout the world or as guests of
members.

For enquiries phone 01292 477 802.
There is a mid sized indoor swimming pool
next to the bowling club.

Prestwick Flying Club is situated at
the south end of Prestwick Airport.
Information on joining the club, looking
to gain your pilots licence or just
curious about flying and would like a
test flight visit the website www.prestwickflyingclub.co.uk.